How it works

How laser tattoo removal works

Laser removal speeds up the fading your body already does, by breaking ink into pieces small enough to clear.

The laser handpiece treating a tattoo on a forearm

Why tattoos last, and how the laser helps

When a tattoo is applied, a needle deposits ink in the dermis, a deep layer of the skin. Your immune system sees the ink as foreign and sends white blood cells to clear it, but most ink particles are too large to remove all at once. That is why tattoos last, yet slowly fade over a lifetime.

During a treatment, the Trinity laser sends very short pulses of light into the tattoo. The ink absorbs the light, heats up and breaks into tiny pieces, which your body then flushes out naturally.

Each session breaks up more of the layers of ink, so the tattoo fades more and more until you reach your goal: complete removal, or fading for a cover-up.

Our primary goal is to give you a fresh start.

Pierce Your Soul

The process

Three steps, at your pace

  1. Free consult

    Tell us about your tattoo with the free consult form. Sky, our scheduling manager, texts you back with pricing and availability.

  2. Treatment

    The Trinity laser breaks the ink into tiny particles. The Zimmer Cryo numbs your skin with cold air before, during and after.

  3. Fading over time

    Your body clears the broken-up ink between sessions. It takes several sessions, whether you want it gone or faded for a cover-up.

  1. Free consult
  2. Session 1
  3. Skin heals, ink fades
  4. Next session
  5. Your goal

Technology

The Astanza Trinity

The Trinity combines two Q-switched lasers, an Nd:YAG and a ruby, for three wavelengths. Each one targets a different group of ink colors.

  • 1064nmBlack, brown and dark blue
  • 532nmRed, orange, yellow and violet
  • 694nmVivid blue, turquoise, teal and bright green

Our 694 nm ruby wavelength targets blue and green inks, which many lasers struggle with.

It uses Q-switched technology: very short pulses at high peak power, which break up ink efficiently.

Before: three black bird tattoos on the side of the neck, below the ear
After: the same neck with the bird tattoos removed
Neck: three black bird tattoos, before and after removal

Comfort

Zimmer Cryo cooling

The Zimmer Cryo blows cold air, about -22°F, onto the treatment area. Within seconds the skin is numb, and it keeps you comfortable before, during and after the laser. Ask about it at your free consult.

What it feels like

Most people compare the laser to a rubber band snapping against the skin; others say it feels like a tattoo gun. The Cryo numbs the area before, during and after.

Aftercare and side effects

Side effects are usually temporary: itching, redness, swelling, scabbing and blistering, which heal over the weeks after treatment.

Don’t pick or pop scabs or blisters, since that can lead to infection and scarring.

Every client gets detailed aftercare instructions to take home.

Ready to talk about your tattoo?

Consultations are always free. Sky, our scheduling manager, texts you back with pricing and availability.

Free consult